Kidnap victim Hannah Anderson, whose mother and brother were killed by close family friend James DiMaggio before he abducted her and took her to Idaho, talked publicly Thursday for the first time about her family and her ordeal.

In an interview with NBC News that aired on the “Today” show, the 16-year-old Lakeside girl became emotional when talking about her 8-year-old brother, Ethan, saying he “had a big heart.” She said her mother, Christina Anderson, 44, was “strong-hearted” and tough. Thoughts about her mom kept her strong as she struggled to survive in the Idaho wilderness, Hannah said.

She said that letters authorities found from her at DiMaggio’s Boulevard home were written about a year ago when she and her mother weren’t getting along.

“I’d tell him how I felt about it, and he helped me through it,” she said. “They weren’t anything bad. They were just to help me through tough times.”

The teen also said the 13 telephone messages between her and 40-year-old DiMaggio on the day before she was discovered missing were simply texts telling him where to pick her up at cheer camp practice.

Hannah also addressed the criticism some leveled at her online when a couple of days after her rescue by FBI agents in Idaho she began making posts on a question-and-answer website popular with teens.

People are entitled to their opinions, she said, but “they don’t know what happened.”

She said she shared pictures and her thoughts online to show her feelings and to help grieve.

“I’m a teenager. I’m going to go on it,” Hannah said.

Some of the criticism was over her writing about getting her nails done and posting pictures of herself smiling.

Related

She said she got her nails done to remember her brother and mother — blue for Ethan and pink for her mom — and she had “Tina” and “Ethan” painted on her toenails.

The high school junior credited the Amber Alert system, which she had never heard of before, for helping to save her life, and she thanked law enforcement, the news media and the horseback riders who spotted her in the Idaho wilderness for helping to find her.

Hannah also said she was grateful for her father, Brett Anderson, her family and friends who have supported her since her life was upended almost three weeks ago.

“In the beginning I was a victim, but now knowing everyone out there is helping me I consider myself a survivor instead. My mom raised me to be strong.”

San Diego County sheriff’s homicide investigators have said that DiMaggio kidnapped Hannah, after torturing and killing her mother and brother. Authorities discovered the bodies after dousing a fire at DiMaggio’s home on the night of Aug. 4.

Ethan’s body was found badly charred inside the house, which was destroyed. His cause of death has not been determined. The body of Christina Anderson, who was killed by a blow to the head, was found under a tarp in the garage, which did not burn. The family dog was fatally shot and found nearby.